1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer for printing a recorded image such as a video image or the like as a hard copy in the form of a color photograph, and more particularly to a color video printer of the sublimational thermal-transfer type.
2 . Description of the Related Art
Conventional color video printers of the type described above are designed such that they do not eject a print sheet other than predetermined-size print sheets when such a print sheet is inserted therein.
In the color video printers, a printing process to be employed is determined by identifying only one of a print sheet and an ink ribbon. More specifically,
(a) a mark is applied to the reverse side of a print sheet, and a printing process such as a mirror-reversed printing process is effected by identifying the mark, or PA1 (b) a detectable mark is applied to a ribbon cassette, and a printing process is determined by identifying the detectable mark.
When a print sheet other than predetermined-size print sheets is inserted into a conventional video printer, the conventional video printer does not eject the inserted print sheet.
However, when a print sheet other than predetermined-size print sheets is inserted into a printer, e.g., when a print sheet having a length other than a standard length is inserted into a printer which can use other print sheets such as postal cards than dedicated print sheets that are coated for use in sublimational printers, it is necessary to eject such an inserted print sheet. If such an inserted print sheet is not ejected, then it may cause a sheet feed error, a sheet discharge error, or a sheet jam in the printer.
When a desired image is to be printed in a panoramic mode, for example, on a print sheet longer than commercially available print sheets, e.g., dedicated print sheets that are 140.8 mm long and postal cards that are 148 mm long, it is necessary to change a printing condition and a printing process depending on the length of the print sheet used.
If a printing process is to be determined by identifying only one of a print sheet and an ink ribbon used, then as the number of available types of ink ribbons and print sheets increases, it is unable to determine a printing process that matches a print sheet and an ink ribbon used simply by identifying them, and it is impossible to eject a combination of a print sheet and an ink ribbon which are possibly responsible for causing the trouble of a mismatch.
It is therefore necessary to identify both an ink ribbon and a print sheet, and effect subsequent processing in a manner to match their combination.
A printer which can use other print sheets such as postal cards than dedicated print sheets is required to identify print sheets by their length because the printer has to handle print sheets with no mark on their reverse side, such as dedicated print sheets that are commercially available.